'TMNT' Director: 'Alien' Aspect Is Always Part of the Comic Book Series

March 24, 2012 03:06:40 GMT

Jonathan Liebesman weighs in on the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' controversy started by producer Michael Bay's comment by stressing also on the involvement of co-creator Kevin Eastman.

Photo credit: /WENN

Another key person in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot has come to the defense of producer Michael Bay regarding his comment that the Turtles in the new movie will come "from an alien race". When speaking to Collider at the press junket for "Wrath of the Titans", director Jonathan Liebesman claimed that the "alien" aspect was actually part of the comic book series.

"Look, it's so funny - if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze," he said. "Now I'm not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we're sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don't know, but we are like Michael said: we're expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you: fans will love it."

Liebesman further assured worried fans, "Whatever mythology we're building on or expanding is coming from that guy, Kevin Eastman's head, who created the Turtles in the first place. And so everything will tie in with the mythology; fans will be extremely excited with what we're coming up with."

"A lot of it is stuff he's wanted to do for a long time, but just hasn't had the opportunity because now we have the budget and things on this film to expand it in the right way," the 35-year-old filmmaker continued explaining. "And so, I'm happy that everyone is extremely passionate, and they will not be disappointed. It's all coming from the best possible place for this franchise."

Bay sparked fans outrage after saying at the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront at the Lincoln Center in New York, "These turtles are from an alien race and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable." To calm fans down, he took to his blog and wrote, "Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world."

"TMNT" creators, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, had also individually weighed in on the controversy. Laird posted on his blog, "The reason I say it could be a 'genius' idea is that, for the first time, someone has come up with a way to have as many freakin' Turtles as they want. I mean, if the 'TMNT' are actually members of an alien race, there could be a whole PLANET of them! Joy."

Eastman, in the meantime, said in a statement, "I had been invited to check out the TMNT film development by my friend Scott Mednick over the years, and a while back had a full look behind the curtain at what writers [Josh] Appelbaum and [Andre] Nemec, director [Jonathan] Liebesman, and producer Bay are doing - and trust me - it IS AWESOME. I'm officially on board."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is scheduled to hit theaters across the United States on Christmas Day in 2013.